Men’s basketball to hoop it up against No. 2 Michigan State

Nov 26, 2010

Weekly Game Notes

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – With more than a week off between game
days, the Golden Eagle basketball team is preparing to take on the
Spartans of Michigan State, on Sunday at 12 p.m. in East Lansing.
Ranked at No. 2 in the nation, MSU will be the second-highest
ranked opponent ever faced by the Tech men’s basketball
program. Last year Tech visited No. 1 Kansas.

The unconventional amount of rest time came unexpectedly, when
Tech’s BracketBuster rematch against Appalachian State was
cancelled on Tuesday evening. As per the BracketBuster contract,
the Southern Conference was responsible for providing referees for
Tuesday night’s event. The conference failed to do so,
causing a need to cancel the game and giving Tech seven full days
off from competitive play between games.

With the ASU game suspended, the Golden Eagles will be coming
off of a 73-60 loss at East Tennessee last Saturday, leaving the
Golden Eagles 0-2. Michigan State, after starting their season 5-0,
fell at the hands of UConn Tuesday night in the second game of the
Maui Invitational. Tom Izzo's squad rebounded with a 76-71 win over
Washington and will enter the Sunday matinee contest at 6-1.

Tech has only matched up against Michigan State once, back in
the 2005-06 season. The Spartans took a 17-point victory,
80-63.

“Playing in East Lansing is a great opportunity for our
guys,” head coach Mike Sutton said. “Going up against a
team that has a chance to go very deep in the NCAA tournament gives
us a chance to learn from some of the best players in college
basketball right now.

“It’s great exposure for Tennessee Tech as
well,” Sutton continued. “Playing Michigan State will
open a lot of people’s eyes to our program and give us a
chance to showcase our talent.”

Fans who won’t be in East Lansing can listen to the Golden
Eagle Sports Network with Roger Ealey calling the action for
broadcasts in the mid-state region. The game can also be heard on
Free Teamline on the Internet or telephone.